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Monday, 27 January 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Bionics by Alicia Michaels

I received a copy of The Bionics in exchange for my review.

4 years ago the bombs dropped and the world was changed forever. Blythe was one of the people who was given bionic parts by the government's Healing Hands program. But then the government decided that anyone with bionic parts was a threat, and now they have been forced into hiding. Now part of the Resistance, Blythe and her best friend, Dax, search for people like them who are in hiding, and on their way back from Texas they meet Gabe and his niece. Dax takes an instant dislike to the guy, whereas Blythe is mesmirised by this determination, not to mention by his eyes.

I can feel a definite love triangle coming along in this series! Gabe and Dax have far too much masculine competition between them for it to be a clean cut one too! I do get the feeling that at the moment Dax is a bit friend zoned though...well he is up until Blythe actually thinks about it! For the record though, at the moment I'm preferring Gabe for Blythe (though this could all change), he's much less of a hot head!

I thought that The Bionics had far more of an explanation to it than most books that cover the apocalypse settings do. Though it isn't just thrown at you, rather the information gets given to you at the right place in the story. This really gave the setting a depth, and it almost felt as if you were there, making the emotions of the characters far more prominant.

And I almost cried. (Here it is important to remember that I didn't even cry when Dobby died). But I think that that shows just how much Blythe as a character drew you in. In comparison to other characters like her (think tough with a sensitive inner self), she seemed to accept that she had a softer side from the beginning, and seemed to care much more than some other heroines do. Just so its clear, I liked this, Blythe is a great main character!

This series has got me enthralled after book 1! I can't wait to read the second and third books!

This review is a part of the Blog Tour that trips down imagination road is doing on behalf of Clean Teen Publishing (and a big thanks to them for it!) Check out the other books offered by Clean Teen Publishing on their website, and don't forget to check out the other reviews I am doing for them this week!

You can also enter the giveaway which is for all of the awesome books I'm reviewing this week!

GUEST POST: THE REAL BIONICS

In honor of the release of Spark, book for in The Bionics Series, I thought it would
be fun to explore the real strides we've taken toward Bionic technology. When I
started writing The Bionics series, I had no idea we had done so much in this
field! Soon, people's lives will be tremendously impacted by this technology. The
possibilities are endless!

1) The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Modular Prosthetic artificial limb.
It was created with our injured veterans in mind and is one of the most
sophisticated pieces of machinery of its kind. It can do everything a real arm
can do (reminds me of Blythe from The Bionics). It weighs as much as a human
arm and is pretty swanky looking too! Using sensors that end at the brain, the
wearer is able to flex individual fingers and get a wider range of motion than
any other prosthetic hand out there. It's pretty cool. Read more about it and
see the video about 'Robohand', here:
http://sitebuilder.yola.com/ide/index.jsp?siteid=8a4986c937bd1df80137c256a8751b45#

3) The Genium. When 40 year old Rik fell from a
utility pole from 40 feet and landed on his knee (ouch!) he ended up losing his
leg, which was amputated above the knee. His prosthetic, known as the Genium is
referred to as a bionic knee. This thing is pretty cool too, with a kneecap,
calf and foot.The Genium emulates the grace of human movement, and with his
clothes covering it, no one even knows it's fake. Losing his leg didn't stop
Bik from being active, in his job he still climbs those utility poles and even
runs triathlons! Check out more about Bik and the Genium here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/19/6083668/futuristic-bionic-knee-makes-smud.html
Oh, and by the way that pic below is Bik playing soccer!

There is so much more out there to
check out. Like a bionic exoskeleton, and
even contact lenses that act as diagnostic tools. These days we are well
on our way to these ideas being more a part of reality than fiction. That we
can offer hope to people injured or paralyzed is a beautiful thing.

Nuclear war and the wasteful nature of humans have all but destroyed the United States. A new government regime rules the day with strict laws, rationed food, and careful control. When those injured in the nuclear blasts that rocked many of the nations largest cities are offered another chance by the Restoration Project, how could they refuse?

Little do they know that the robotic additions to their body will paint targets on their backs once the government decides that they are dangerous. At the forefront of the resistance is a girl with a bionic eye, Blythe Sol, who wants nothing more than to be a normal girl. Blythe has yet to realize that normal will never exist again for her, or anyone else.

The Revolution has begun...

The Bionics (Book 1)

FREE

(New Adult or YA Mature)

Most nineteen year-old girls are thinking about college, stretching the wings of newfound adulthood, and boys. Well, I’ll probably never go to college and all my dreams of the future are gone. I’ve been an adult for much longer than I should have been and my girlhood was stolen the minute the North Koreans dropped their nukes over the United States. As for boys … well, that’s pretty much out of the question now, too. My love life is too messy to even talk about.

I have nothing.

Except, maybe, my cause, my mission, The Resistance. It is the hope I have to cling to, I am counting on it to pave the way to my future. As things heat up and the terrorist sect known as The Rejects make themselves known opponents of society in this war, the choice to be on the side of good is harder than ever. My friends are broken; Olivia is a shell of her former self and Jenica is barely hanging on. Dax and Gage … well, we’re not talking about my love life, remember?

The Rejects, the government, President Drummond; they are pressing in on us from all sides and the weight is tremendous. Still, when given the choice to crumble or stand, I’d rather stand. Times are dark, but we are here, a rebellion, a whisper in the dark, a spark that lights the flames of change.

Titanium (Book 2)

(New Adult or YA Mature)

Secrets (Book 3)

(New Adult or YA Mature)

NEW RELEASE:

SPARK (Book 4) (New Adult or YA Mature)

About Alicia Michaels:

Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. The mother of two and wife to an Army sergeant loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.